Knowledge Base

Overview

Synology DiskStation is designed to make storing and sharing files within your local network quick and simple, allowing you to directly access shared folders and files on the DiskStation without going through the hassle of logging into DSM everytime. For example, you'll be able to access files on your DiskStation with NFS just like other network devices.

This article guides you through the steps of using your Linux computer to access your DiskStation within the local network.

Contents

1. Before You Start
2. Enabling NFS on Your DiskStation
3. NFS Privileges of Shared Folders
4. Mounting Shared Folders with NFS

1. Before You Start

This article assumes that you have already done the following:

• Set up your Synology DiskStation.
• Installed Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) on your DiskStation.
• Created at least one volume (see this tutorial).
• Created at least one shared folder (see this tutorial).
• Create at least one user with access privileges to the shared folder (see this tutorial).
• Configured your DiskStation to be accessible over the Internet (see this tutorial).

For information about basic hardware and software setup, please refer to the Quick Installation Guide for your Synology product. In addition, you can also see Synology DiskStation User's Guide for additional information related to this article. Both documents are available at the Synology Download Center.

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2. Enabling NFS on Your DiskStation

Before accessing a shared folder with your NFS client, you will need to change the system settings of your DiskStation to allow sharing via NFS. Please follow the steps below.

1. Log into DSM with an account belonging to the administrators group.
2. Go to Main Menu.
3. Open Control Panel.
4. Go to Win/Mac/NFS.
5. Go to the NFS Service tab.
6. Check the box Enable NFS.
7. Click Apply to save settings.

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3. NFS Privileges of Shared Folders

Before accessing any shared folders with your NFS client, you must first configure the NFS privileges of the shared folder you wish to access. The steps below will guide you through the process of changing NFS privileges of the shared folders on your DiskStation.

1. Go to Control Panel > Shared Folder.
2. Select the shared folder that you wish to access with your NFS client.
3. Click Privileges.
4. Select NFS Privileges.
5. On the Edit NFS privileges page, click Create.
6. When the Create an NFS rule page appears, edit the following fields:
   • Hostname or IP: Enter the IP address of the NFS client which will access the shared folder.
   • Privileges: Select read/write privileges for the NFS client.
   • Root Squash: This field allows you to control the root user access privileges of the NFS client. Please select one of the following:
   1. No Mapping: Allows the NFS client to maintain root access privileges.
   2. Map to admin: Assigns access privileges to the NFS client equivalent to the admin user access privileges on your system.
   3. Map to guest: Assigns access privileges to the NFS client equivalent to the guest access privileges on your system.
   4. Asynchronous: Checking this option allows your DiskStation to reply to requests from NFS clients before any changes to files are completed, yielding better performance.
   
Note: When accessing a shared folder via NFS with a specific user account, you must have exactly the same numerical group ID or user ID on the NFS client and DiskStation, or else you will be assigned the permissions of others when accessing the shared folder.
7. When finished defining the NFS rule, click OK.
8. Back on the Edit NFS privileges page, note the mount path of the shared folder, which follows the format / [volume name] / [shared folder name ].
9. Click OK to save your settings.

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4. Mounting Shared Folders via NFS

Once you have completed the steps above, you can mount the shared folder with your NFS client. In the section below, we will access the shared folder using Linux.

1. Open Linux command console.
2. Enter the mount command as follows:
   mount [DiskStation IP address] : [mount path of shared folder] / [mount point on NFS client]
3. Finally, enter the disk free (df) command to confirm you have successfully mounted the shared folder.
Can't Mount the Shared Folder? The user account you enter here must have access privileges for the shared folder that you wish to map.

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